Peace Processes & Accords
Madhav Joshi, David Cortright, Laurel Stone and Jason Quinn
Since the end of the Cold War, hundreds of accords, including 34 comprehensive peace agreements, have been signed by combatants engaged in armed conflicts around the world. Many have since collapsed into violent confrontation. Some have been followed by stalemate, economic struggle, and crime. Others have resulted in lasting peace. What makes the difference? How can we improve the chances that a peace process will succeed?
To help answer these and related questions, the Kroc Institute has established the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), a unique source of comparable data on peace agreements. PAM allows scholars and practitioners to compare 51 different themes in all the comprehensive peace agreements signed since 1989. This interactive database was developed with support from the United States Institute of Peace and the National Science Foundation.
The database, in both qualitative and quantitative form, is now freely available on the PAM website. Current research efforts are investigating the partial peace accords which lead to a comprehensive peace agreement in order to determine how a peace process succeeds. In a related effort, researchers are also working to define the concept of "quality peace" — one that goes beyond the end of violence to include durable peace as the outcome of successful peace processes.
The Barometer Initiative is the latest development by the PAM team to provide continuous whole-of-agreement implementation monitoring capacity that is complementary to official monitoring mechanisms. With funding from Humanity United, the PAM team is launching the Colombia Barometer Initiative to help establish a firm foundation for national reconciliation and sustainable peace in Colombia, while serving as a model for real-time monitoring of peace accords in other countries.
Faculty and staff working in this area include:
Josefina Echavarria Alvarez, Director of the Peace Accords Matrix
Madhav Joshi, Research Professor, PAM Associate Director
Jena O'Brien, PAM Communications and Digital Media Specialist
Jason Quinn, PAM Research Associate Professor
Laurel Quinn, PAM Associate Director of Operations, Peace Accords Matrix
Melinda Davis, PAM Research Associate
Cristian Sáez Flórez, PAM Research Associate
Carolina Serrano Idrovo, PAM Research Associate
Hilal Omar Al Jamal, PAM Program Coordinator